


Rather Me Than Her

by Iclare



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Buck being a hero as usual, Buck being underappreciated, Gen, Hospitals, Hurt Evan "Buck" Buckley, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, daddy bobby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:28:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23916787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iclare/pseuds/Iclare
Summary: In hindsight, Buck realised he probably should have skipped his trip to the coffee shop and just headed straight to the firehouse. He could have saved time, and money, and he also probably wouldn’t have been hit by a car on the sidewalk.Excuse for some hurt Buck and daddy Bobby. Not beta’d so any mistakes are mine and mine alone.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 352





	Rather Me Than Her

In hindsight, Buck realised he probably should have skipped his trip to the coffee shop and just headed straight to the firehouse. He could have saved time, and money, and he also probably wouldn’t have been hit by a car on the sidewalk. 

He had been out the night before for a few drinks with the team and had been home and in bed later than he would have liked, especially with a 24 hour shift starting the next day. After 2 beers he had turned to drinking water instead, not wanting to suffer a hangover the next morning. He knew from previous experience that the sound of the firehouse bell and a thumping headache were not a good combination. 

Walking back to his truck, a tray of coffees in one hand and a bag of pastries in the other, he glanced to the side before he crossed the road. He stopped when he seen a car coming down the road, his brow furrowing as he watched the car swerve left and right. The car seemed to lose control and was headed towards the coffee shop. 

Buck’s breath caught in his lungs as he watched the car drift towards the sidewalk, a bright pink pushchair in its sights. He didn’t hesitate; he dropped the coffee and pastries and sprinted towards the pushchair, calling out to the nearby mother to move. 

Buck reached the small child just in time, shoving the pushchair out of the way. He was not as lucky as he felt the hot metal of the car slam into him, taking the breath from his lungs and cracking his head against the ground. A lamppost stopped the car from hitting anyone or anything else and Buck sagged to the ground. No one else was hurt. 

He took a minute to compose himself. What had just happened? His brain felt incredibly fuzzy. He could feel a trickle of blood dripping down his neck onto his t-shirt. His side was numb and he couldn’t bend his left arm. Not a good sign. He needed to get home. 

He whimpered as he pushed himself up from the ground, holding his arm against his side as he followed the sound of a child crying and stumbled towards it. He felt bile rush up his throat but pushed it back. He could make out the blurry figure of a little girl in a pink dress being held by a woman but the colours were blending together and he blinked several times to clear his vision. 

‘Is she okay?’ Buck asked, stopping beside the mother. He could hear the little girl crying heavily, he could hear a crowd of people gathering around them, and he could hear sirens approaching. He could feel his brain pulsing in time with his heart and before he could hear the response, his feet were taking him away from the scene. 

He managed to get to the end of the row of shops before he stopped and looked around in confusion. What had happened? His head hurt and his side throbbed and he couldn’t remember what he had been doing. Did he have work today? He must have had the day off if he went for coffee. He glanced behind him at the police cars pulling up outside the coffee shop and hoped everyone was alright. 

A wave of dizziness and nausea rushed over him and he found himself bent over, vomiting on the ground. He felt shaky and sore and wanted to get home to his bed. 

Placing a hand against his forehead to try and ease the pain, he reached into his pocket for his phone to call a cab. There was no way he could drive home with this headache. Was his truck even here? He couldn’t remember. His hands came up empty. Where was his phone? Surely he wouldn’t have left his apartment without it. But if it wasn’t in his pocket he must have left it behind. Stupid. He started walking, hoping he would remember what had happened on the way home. He needed to get some sleep. 

3 hours into their shift that morning and Bobby was swearing again as he slammed his desk phone down into its holder. Buck hadn’t shown up for work and was ignoring him. His calls were going straight to voicemail and he was beyond frustrated. He thought that Buck had turned a corner, he thought the boy was finally starting to grow up. But if he couldn’t even go out for a few drinks with his work colleagues and make it into said work the next day, maybe Bobby was wrong about him. 

He left his office and made his way to the kitchen where the others were gathered drinking coffee. 

‘Still no answer?’ Eddie asked from his seat at the table. Bobby shook his head in response. 

‘He’s not replying to me either,’ Eddie added, glancing at his phone to see if there had been any response from Buck in the 3 minutes since he’d last looked at the screen. 

‘Maybe he had too much to drink and he’s too busy worshiping the porcelain God to be here?’ Chimney suggested with a smirk. 

‘How could he be so irresponsible? He knew we were working today but he chose to get so drunk that he couldn’t come into work.’ Bobby knew he was being unfair but his frustration at Buck was running wild. ‘I thought he didn’t want to be Buck 1.0 anymore. Clearly I was wrong.’

‘He didn’t have that much to drink, Cap. I know because I offered to get him another beer but he asked for a water instead. I don’t think this is a simple hangover,’ Hen voiced, pouring herself another coffee. She held the mug tightly in her hands. She was worried. 

‘Well then, why isn’t he answering his phone?’ Bobby asked, folding his arms across his chest. 

‘Maybe because he doesn’t have it?’ A new voice called from the top of the stairs and Athena’s head popped up into the kitchen. Bobby’s face split into a smile. 

‘Hey,’ he greeted his fiancée kissing her softly. Athena smiled back. 

‘Why do you have Buck’s phone?’ Eddie asked, stepping towards her and holding his hand out. She handed the phone over. 

‘It was found at the scene of an accident earlier. I came here to give it back to him and see if he could shed some light on what happened. I got statements at the scene and I was hoping they were wrong. Get your gear on. I’ll phone dispatch and tell them you’re booked. You need to find him,’ Athena all but ordered, making her way back down the stairs. Bobby could hear the tremor of fear in her voice.

‘What’s going on?’ Hen asked, rushing to get her gear on and head towards the ambulance. 

‘Witnesses said there was a young man hit by a car. He stopped a 6 month old child from being killed. I was really really hoping it wasn’t going to be Buck but apparently that boy is determined to get me to retire early.’ 

Bobby was moving as soon as Athena started speaking. He knew it was going to be Buck. Selfless idiot. He made a note to tell the kid as much. 

‘Let’s go,’ Bobby ordered but he needn’t have bothered as his team were already buckling themselves into the ambulance. 

They reached Buck’s apartment block in record time and all but sprinted up the stairs. Bobby knocked the door aggressively several times.

Eddie was seconds away from kicking Buck’s door down when they heard the lock click and the door opened. Buck’s pale face looked out at them from the doorway. 

‘Bobby? What are you guys doing here? Am I late for work?’ Buck asked, his eyes worried as he looked down at the cracked screen of his watch. 

‘No, Buck, you’re not late for work. We were worried about you. Athena came and told us you’d been in an accident. We wanted to come and make sure you were alright,’ Bobby explained, taking one of Buck’s arms and leading him back into his apartment. Buck looked unsteady on his feet, but Eddie walked behind them, ready to catch him in case he toppled backwards. 

‘I wasn’t in an accident. Was I? My head feels a little fuzzy. I must have had too much to drink last night. ‘m sorry Bobby. I didn’t mean to. I don’t think I drank too much but I must have, right? I can’t remember. I know I’m late for work. Give me 5 minutes and I’ll be ready. Sorry you had to come all the way down here. I know I’m a pain in the ass. Where’s my phone?’ 

Bobby watched with a furrowed brow as Buck rambled, Hen helping the younger man sit on the couch. Buck watched her hesitantly, sitting back from her as if he could melt into the couch. Bobby spotted a sticky red patch on the back of the couch and he worried at how long Buck had been sitting there alone and hurt. 

‘Hey Buckaroo, I’m just going to check your vitals, ok? I think you might have hurt your head,’ Hen spoke softly, grabbing her penlight and kneeling beside Buck on the couch. Buck shook his head, regretting the movement instantly when the world span before him and he could feel his stomach rebelling. Before he could utter a warning, Eddie was beside him, a garbage can under his chin. 

Buck vomited into it, clenching his eyes and his stomach muscles. This was worse than last time, he thought as wave after wave of watery bile spewed into the can. One arm wrapped around his aching stomach as his muscles spasmed and he struggled to stay upright. He could feel a warm hand rubbing up and down his back but he couldn’t make out who it was. Everything was a blur and he couldn’t tell who was even still in the room. 

He was aware of someone speaking soothingly in his ear and someone brushing his hair back from his face and he thought it sounded suspiciously like a Eddie. But that couldn’t be right. Why would Eddie be here? 

Finally his stomach relaxed and he swallowed convulsively, his eyes still clenched. Not for the first time that day had he felt regret at having an apartment with such large windows. His head hurt. Why did his head hurt again? Oh right, the car. 

He peeled his eyes open and he was staring straight into the eyes of a worried Bobby. 

‘Cap? What are you doing here?’ Buck croaked, looking at the rest of his teammates in confusion. Why were they in his apartment? Was he late for work? He went to move the arm wrapped around his stomach to look at his watch but the ache that he had been feeling there all morning had deepened and what energy he had had vanished. 

‘Uh, Bobby?’ Eddie spoke from beside him, lifting the garbage can to show Bobby the contents. Bobby glanced in and his stomach turned to ice when he saw bloody bile staring back at him. 

‘Bobby? I hate to do this but I don’t think I can come into work today. Sorry,’ Buck whispered before his eyes rolled into his head and he collapsed into Eddie’s side. He had a brief thought of how warm Eddie felt before he knew nothing else. 

‘Buck!’ Eddie shouts, dropping the garbage can and grabbing Buck before his listless body dropped to the floor. 

‘He’s burning up, Cap,’ Hen states, the back of her hand resting on Buck’s forehead. ‘And there’s blood on the back of his head. We need to go.’ 

Bobby nodded, instructing Hen and Chimney to go back to the ambulance and get the backboard, taking Hen’s place beside the unconscious young man. 

He watched how, even in unconsciousness, Buck’s arm was still wrapped around his torso. Bobby lifted Buck’s t-shirt up, sucking in a breath at the damage he saw on the skin. There wasn’t an area on the left side of Buck that wasn’t bruised. 

‘What?’ Eddie asked, trying to look around Buck to see what was happening. 

‘Hospital. Now,’ Bobby demanded, moving so Chimney and Eddie could get their friend onto the board. Bobby ran his hand down his face and exhaled deeply. What a nightmare. 

Hours later found the team sitting in the waiting room of the hospital, several empty plastic coffee cups sitting around them. Bobby had phoned Maddie on their way in and explained what had happened. She managed to get away from work, and briefly wondered while she was making her way to the hospital, how her little brother was such a magnet for trouble. 

Athena entered through the automatic doors, holding out a tray of paper cups and a large paper bag. 

‘Went back to the coffee shop to get further statements. Seems Buck was in this morning to get coffee and breakfast for everyone but never got the chance to give them to you. The owner felt bad and wanted to give you these. That boy,’ Athena spoke fondly, shaking her head with a small smile and placed the coffee and pastries on the table in front of the team. 

Maddie wiped the tears from her face.

‘Selfless idiot,” she whispered with a smile. She glanced up and saw a doctor in scrubs making his way towards them. She jumped up from her seat, her hand instinctively grabbing Bobby’s arm. He stood beside her, a comforting hand on her back. 

‘Captain,’ the doctor addressed Bobby with a hand shake. 

‘How’s our boy?’ Bobby asked, and the affection in his voice had Maddie’s eyes tearing up again. 

‘He was lucky you got there when you did. He ruptured his spleen and we had to remove it. Three broken ribs, grade three concussion, and a fractured elbow. All in all a lucky young man, he’s just being settled in a room now but I’ll get a nurse to come and get you,’ the doctor finished, shaking Bobby’s hand again before leaving. 

Eddie let out a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding. Buck was going to be alright. He would be alright. Eddie smiled. 

Maddie collapsed back into her seat, rubbing her hands together, and resting her head against Chimney’s shoulder. 

‘He’s fine,’ Chimney assured her, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. 

‘I swear, that boy is going to be locked in his room, the amount of stress he puts us through,’ Athena tutted, wrapping her arms around Bobby’s shoulders. Bobby breathed in deeply. 

‘He might not be pleased with that,’ Bobby laughed, gripping his fiancée’s waist. 

A nurse appeared beside them, smiling and pointing them in the direction of Buck’s hospital room. Chimney placed his hands on Maddie’s shoulders in an effort to stop her bolting off. 

Bobby and Maddie made it to Buck’s room in record time and as soon as Maddie saw her baby brother lying on the bed a sob caught in her throat. 

‘He looks so small,’ she whispered, brushing his hair back and kissing his forehead. Bobby couldn’t agree with her more. Seeing the pale young man lying so uncharacteristically still had a tendril of guilt creeping around his heart. He owed Buck a huge apology. 

It was a few hours later when Buck finally woke up long enough to be coherent. And the first thing he noticed was that he was alone. A coat and a bag were strewn across the chair beside the bed but there was no further sign of life. He looked around. Hospital again. Fantastic. 

He faintly remembered that he was due to be working today. If it still was today. Everything felt fuzzy, dimmed around the edges. Had there been a car? He pushed himself up, gasping when he tried to put pressure on his left arm. The cast on his arm came as a surprise. But the pain radiated up through his arm to his head and he moaned. 

‘I leave you alone for 5 minutes and you’re already causing trouble. Why am I not surprised?’ A voice in the doorway caused him to jump and his eyes met Bobby’s. Bobby entered the room and sat down in the chair beside the bed. He grabbed the plastic cup of water beside him and offered it to Buck. 

The water tasted like heaven; he hadn’t realised quite how dry his mouth was until he started drinking. 

‘What happened?’ Buck croaked, leaning back against his pillow, his eyes feeling heavy. 

‘What happened is that you were being a hero as usual. You saved a little girl from being killed by a drunk driver but managed to get yourself hurt, again,’ Bobby smiled, adjusting the sheets on the bed so they were up around Buck’s trembling shoulders. He indicated a bunch of balloons and a small bear sat at the end of Buck’s bed. 

‘Her mom was very appreciative and wants to see you when you’re feeling up to it.’ Buck smiled. 

‘Rather me than her,’ Buck whispered, shuffling on the bed. He hissed as his stitches pulled. Bobby sighed at him. 

‘You’ve had surgery so you’ll be sore for a while, and yes, you’ll have to stay here for a few days. We’ll talk about everything that happened when you’re feeling a bit better. For now you need to get some rest.’ Bobby’s parental nature was seeping through and he placed a hand on top of Buck’s head, his thumb rubbing soothingly against his temple. Buck looked up at him with wide, exhausted eyes. 

‘Sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up. Maddie’s here too, and everyone else is in the waiting room. We want you to get better. We need you to get better.’ Bobby stroked Buck’s head gently, smirking as the young man’s eyes drooped further. His apology could wait.


End file.
